How do you respond to instruction, criticism, or rebuke? Do you have a teachable spirit (attitude)? Do you accept wisdom and instruction as God’s sovereign work in your life or do you get defensive and reject it? I know I find it hard at times to take correction. But what do our answers say about us and why is it so important to understand and deal with these things?
Today’s Readings:
1 Samuel 20 & 21
Psalm 59.1-5
Proverbs 15.31-33
Luke 24.36-53
Do You Have a Teachable Spirit?
Proverbs 15.31-33:
Disdaining Instruction
Today’s reading in Proverbs says:
He who disdains instruction despises his own soul, but he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.
How do you respond to instruction or rebuke? Do you have a teachable spirit or do you quickly reject anyone else’s input?
I know I struggle at times with correction and I suspect I’m not the only one. According to this passage, when we refuse to listen to wise counsel, it is the same as despising or hating ourselves. But when we listen, we grow in wisdom and understanding. And I would add spiritual maturity.
Even when we are familiar with a skill or subject, there are always things we can learn, even if it’s just how to be gracious and polite!
What Prevents Us?
What keeps us from wanting to hear what someone else has to say? Sadly, it’s that ugly 5-letter word, P-R-I-D-E.
I wish I could remember where I found this, but I think it’s one of the best definitions for pride, “a high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.”
Did you notice the words “inordinate” and “cherished in the mind”? Pride makes us think more highly of ourselves than we should. It gives us an inflated opinion of our own knowledge or ability!
Unjustified Criticism
It can be challenging enough to take criticism even when it is needed, but what if we believe the criticism is unjustified?
In 2 Samuel 16.5-13 as David was fleeing from his son Absalom, a relative of King Saul’s by the name of Shimei began cursing him, throwing stones at him, and saying he was getting what he deserved. One of his mighty men wanted to cut the man’s head off, but David said, “If the Lord has told him to curse me, who are you to stop him? … Leave him alone and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to do it.”
God, in His sovereignty, allowed Shimei’s harsh criticism. David went on, “And perhaps the Lord will see that I am being wronged and will bless me because of these curses today.”
If God allows someone to criticize us unfairly, we need to be careful how we respond. Instead of being defensive, we need to trust that God is allowing it for a reason, often to grow us in spiritual maturity (Jas. 1.2-5; Rom. 8.28-29). The Apostle Paul was given a “thorn in the flesh” to keep him from being “exalted above measure,” and becoming prideful (2 Cor. 12.7). God allows those situations in our lives for the same reasons.
God used Israel’s enemies to discipline and refine them. He will use other people to do His work in our lives, too, even those who don’t have our best interests at heart. But He blesses us as we respond in love and with humility (Jn. 15.2; Heb. 12.11) instead of becoming angry or defensive.
Today’s Other Readings:
1 Samuel 20 & 21:
Our Own Schemes
And speaking of David, here in chapter 20 of 1 Samuel, God continued to demonstrate His sovereign control over the events of David’s life through his covenant with Jonathan. But God still had a few things to teach David before he would be ready to be king. In chapter 21, instead of trusting God, he relied on his own schemes to protect himself, first by deceiving the priest and then by pretending to be crazy. But in David’s life, just as in ours, God’s ultimate plan and purpose would prevail.
Psalm 59.1-5:
Deliver Me
Deliver me from my enemies, O my God … (v. 1).
Even with his shortcomings and lapses of trust, David knew where to turn for help.
Luke 24.36-53:
Open My Eyes
In this passage, Jesus supernaturally opened the disciples’ understanding of the Scriptures. We, too, should pray that God will open our hearts and minds to understand. May we pray like the psalmist in Psalm 119.18:
Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.
What About You? Questions to Ponder or Journal:
Reconsider the questions I posed in the introduction.
How do you respond to instruction, criticism, and rebuke? Do you have a teachable spirit (attitude)? Do you accept wisdom and instruction as God’s sovereign work in your life or do you get defensive and reject it?
What do your answers say about your spiritual maturity or how do they reveal evidence of pride?
Do you pray for wisdom and understanding and do you seek wise counsel?
What lessons have you learned about these things that might be helpful to others?
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we’ll talk about what to do to be used by God and how we sometimes do the Christian two-step (one step forward, two steps back). We’ll also look at so-called white magic, what it means to resist the devil, what to do when you’re at your wit’s end, and how to respond to imperfect authority.
I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them.
If you would like to receive a FREE downloadable and printable Bible study through the book of Mark, you can click here for more information.
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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